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A Quiet Place (2018) (92%)
Director: John Krasinski
Writers: Bryan Woods, Scott Beck, John Krasinski
Stars: Emily Blunt, John Krasinski, Millicent Simmonds
Production Company: Platinum Dunes, Sunday Night
A Quiet Place is directed by John Krasinski and is really his first major release as a director. Yep, not only did Jim from The Office direct a horror/thriller, but he directed a fantastic horror/thriller. I was interested in this film when I saw the first trailer. It was different than the typical horror films we see these days, and it was also interesting that it was directed by Krasinski, and starred him and his wife. Then, when the first reviews dropped from SXSW, my expectations skyrocketed and I got very excited about it. And I gotta say, it is now my favorite film of the year (so far).
Story: One of the things I love about A Quiet Place is the subtle world building. I wasn't presented with some five minute narration describing how the world reached the state it is in and what the aliens are and how many people are left; I was thrown right into the world, and along the way I was given some backstory through newspaper clippings and notes taken by Krasinski's character. This also left me with a bit of room to speculate how exactly everything came to be.
Anyway, the story is that essentially aliens have somehow invaded Earth, but they are blind and hunt anything that makes sound. So if humans are to survive, they must stay as quiet as they can. It isn't focused on the government trying to defeat the aliens, though, or about a group of humans trying to save humanity, it is just about a family that is trying to survive in the world the way it is. And of course, sh*t eventually hits the fan and the aliens come into play.
I loved the story, but it wasn't really the story itself that made this film so enjoyable to me. The sound design was fantastic. This is a very quiet movie (shocker), but every sound that is made carries some significant weight. So much as dropping a fork on the ground could mean certain death. But that's not what made the film for me either, it was the tension that is present throughout the entire runtime. Every time it started to build up while I was watching it I bet my heart rate started to go up. Great stuff. Nonetheless, there are a few plot holes and things that can/will be questioned, but everything else makes up for that stuff.
Script: There's not a whole lot of dialogue in this film, but it's still impressive to write a film this good without using much dialogue. It's not easy to do, but they accomplished it here.
Acting: Unsurprisingly, solid acting from everyone involved. It is always a bit concerning when kid actors have significant roles in a movie, but they killed it.
Cinematography: I think that the sound design is really the standout when it comes to the technical stuff, but the cinematography was solid, although nothing that will blow your socks off.
Overall: This is the best film of the year so far to me, not even a competition, but we still have two-thirds of the year left so I guess it does have a lot of competition coming up. If you like horror/thrillers that involve aliens...you'll be pretty satisfied with this one.
Director: John Krasinski
Writers: Bryan Woods, Scott Beck, John Krasinski
Stars: Emily Blunt, John Krasinski, Millicent Simmonds
Production Company: Platinum Dunes, Sunday Night
A Quiet Place is directed by John Krasinski and is really his first major release as a director. Yep, not only did Jim from The Office direct a horror/thriller, but he directed a fantastic horror/thriller. I was interested in this film when I saw the first trailer. It was different than the typical horror films we see these days, and it was also interesting that it was directed by Krasinski, and starred him and his wife. Then, when the first reviews dropped from SXSW, my expectations skyrocketed and I got very excited about it. And I gotta say, it is now my favorite film of the year (so far).
Story: One of the things I love about A Quiet Place is the subtle world building. I wasn't presented with some five minute narration describing how the world reached the state it is in and what the aliens are and how many people are left; I was thrown right into the world, and along the way I was given some backstory through newspaper clippings and notes taken by Krasinski's character. This also left me with a bit of room to speculate how exactly everything came to be.
Anyway, the story is that essentially aliens have somehow invaded Earth, but they are blind and hunt anything that makes sound. So if humans are to survive, they must stay as quiet as they can. It isn't focused on the government trying to defeat the aliens, though, or about a group of humans trying to save humanity, it is just about a family that is trying to survive in the world the way it is. And of course, sh*t eventually hits the fan and the aliens come into play.
I loved the story, but it wasn't really the story itself that made this film so enjoyable to me. The sound design was fantastic. This is a very quiet movie (shocker), but every sound that is made carries some significant weight. So much as dropping a fork on the ground could mean certain death. But that's not what made the film for me either, it was the tension that is present throughout the entire runtime. Every time it started to build up while I was watching it I bet my heart rate started to go up. Great stuff. Nonetheless, there are a few plot holes and things that can/will be questioned, but everything else makes up for that stuff.
Script: There's not a whole lot of dialogue in this film, but it's still impressive to write a film this good without using much dialogue. It's not easy to do, but they accomplished it here.
Acting: Unsurprisingly, solid acting from everyone involved. It is always a bit concerning when kid actors have significant roles in a movie, but they killed it.
Cinematography: I think that the sound design is really the standout when it comes to the technical stuff, but the cinematography was solid, although nothing that will blow your socks off.
Overall: This is the best film of the year so far to me, not even a competition, but we still have two-thirds of the year left so I guess it does have a lot of competition coming up. If you like horror/thrillers that involve aliens...you'll be pretty satisfied with this one.